EU provides US-bound staff with burner phones, reports FT
The European Union has reportedly issued new guidelines aimed at assisting officials in safeguarding their personal and professional data amid concerns about espionage, as reported by the Financial Times on Monday. This updated travel guidance...
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The European Union has reportedly issued new guidelines aimed at assisting officials in safeguarding their personal and professional data amid concerns about espionage, as reported by the Financial Times on Monday.
This updated travel guidance coincides with rising trade tensions between Brussels and Washington due to U.S. tariff increases.
According to sources, the European Commission has implemented new protocols for staff attending upcoming meetings at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Officials have allegedly been advised to travel with burner phones—prepaid devices unassociated with their identity—and simplified laptops that contain only minimal information. Additionally, they have been instructed to turn off their devices and store them in anti-surveillance sleeves upon their arrival in the United States.
These new precautions are said to resemble those previously adopted for travel to Ukraine and China, reflecting concerns over potential Russian or Chinese surveillance.
“They are worried about the US getting into the Commission systems,” one source said. “The transatlantic alliance is over,” another added.
While the European Commission confirmed to the Financial Times that it has revised its travel guidance, it did not specify the changes made.
Luuk van Middelaar, head of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank, remarked that this guidance demonstrates a pragmatic shift. “It’s an acceptance of reality by the Commission,” he noted, referencing the Obama-era scandal involving WikiLeaks that exposed U.S. surveillance of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her aides.
“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power,” he stated.
This development follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent 'Liberation Day' tariff announcement, which imposed a 20% reciprocal duty on EU imports, in addition to the existing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump accused the bloc of “ripping America off” with a 39% duty on U.S. goods. Although he subsequently paused the tariff hikes for 90 days, a baseline import duty of 10% remains.
The EU condemned this action and agreed to implement its own tariffs on U.S. products, though it has also temporarily withheld these measures, seeking negotiation and a new trade agreement with Washington. The bloc has warned that it could retaliate with tariffs on major U.S. tech companies like Meta and Google if discussions do not progress.
EU-U.S. tensions also extend beyond trade issues. Trump's threats to withdraw U.S. security guarantees unless the EU increases NATO funding have spurred an EU-wide militarization initiative. Furthermore, Brussels has expressed frustration at being sidelined in U.S.-Russia discussions related to Ukraine and the overall warming of relations between Moscow and Washington.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
This updated travel guidance coincides with rising trade tensions between Brussels and Washington due to U.S. tariff increases.
According to sources, the European Commission has implemented new protocols for staff attending upcoming meetings at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Officials have allegedly been advised to travel with burner phones—prepaid devices unassociated with their identity—and simplified laptops that contain only minimal information. Additionally, they have been instructed to turn off their devices and store them in anti-surveillance sleeves upon their arrival in the United States.
These new precautions are said to resemble those previously adopted for travel to Ukraine and China, reflecting concerns over potential Russian or Chinese surveillance.
“They are worried about the US getting into the Commission systems,” one source said. “The transatlantic alliance is over,” another added.
While the European Commission confirmed to the Financial Times that it has revised its travel guidance, it did not specify the changes made.
Luuk van Middelaar, head of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank, remarked that this guidance demonstrates a pragmatic shift. “It’s an acceptance of reality by the Commission,” he noted, referencing the Obama-era scandal involving WikiLeaks that exposed U.S. surveillance of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her aides.
“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power,” he stated.
This development follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent 'Liberation Day' tariff announcement, which imposed a 20% reciprocal duty on EU imports, in addition to the existing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump accused the bloc of “ripping America off” with a 39% duty on U.S. goods. Although he subsequently paused the tariff hikes for 90 days, a baseline import duty of 10% remains.
The EU condemned this action and agreed to implement its own tariffs on U.S. products, though it has also temporarily withheld these measures, seeking negotiation and a new trade agreement with Washington. The bloc has warned that it could retaliate with tariffs on major U.S. tech companies like Meta and Google if discussions do not progress.
EU-U.S. tensions also extend beyond trade issues. Trump's threats to withdraw U.S. security guarantees unless the EU increases NATO funding have spurred an EU-wide militarization initiative. Furthermore, Brussels has expressed frustration at being sidelined in U.S.-Russia discussions related to Ukraine and the overall warming of relations between Moscow and Washington.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
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